US830615A

US830615A - Apparatus for cyaniding ores.

Info

Publication number: US830615A
Application number: US32108606A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas L Rankin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1906-06-11
Filing date: 1906-06-11
Publication date: 1906-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1923-09-11

Description

No. 830,615. PATENTED SEPT.11, 1906. I T. L. RANKIN.

APPARATUS FOR OYANIDING ORES.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 11.1906.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT onrron THQMAS L. RANKIN, OF SAGKET HARBOR, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR OYANIDING ORES.

.To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, Tnomas L. RANKIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Saeket Harbor, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in A paratus for Cyaniding' Ores, of which the fol 0wing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The invention relates to that class of apparatus which is used in the treatment of gold and silver ores by what .is known as the cyanid process of leaching, or causing the gold or silver to dissolve in a solution of cyanid and water.

The apparatus heretofore in use for leaching ores by the use of cyanogen gas have been so constructed as to occasion a loss by evaporation of part of the gas from open tanks or carried off with the air passing through the ore, as applied in many instances. In such apparatus this loss of gas has been coupled with the loss of ellieieney, thus increasing the cost of the leaching. I

The objects of my invention are to construct an apparatus in such away as to permit of leaching. the ores within much less time than has heretofore been required and "to retain much of the cyanogengas which has heretofore gone to waste.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction of an apparatus in which the leaching-cylinders are adapted to retain com pressed air of several atmospheres, if desired, during the leaching process, in combination with means for supplying thecompressed air and also with means for agitating the ores and liquids during the operation, thus bringing them into contact with an excess of oxygen for hastening the process, and in certain connections whereby the pressure may be equalized when the operation has been completed, and also connections for exhaustin the leaching-eylinder to an extent that'wi 1 permit it to be emptied and refilled, and the several operations repeated without unnecessary waste of gas oran esca e of it intothe surroundingatmos here 0 the mill, all as hereinafter more ful y described, and pointed out in and by the claims hereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a general arrangement or elevation showing twoleaching-cy inders, an absorption or storage cylinder, and a compressed-air cylinder with pipe and valve connections. Fig. 2 is av Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed-Juno 1], 1906- 801411110. 321,086.

rammed Sept. 11, 1am.

side view, partly in section, of'one of the leaching-cylinders, showing the interior.

wooden lining and agitating-ribs, as well as certain other features of construction and connections with the operating-gear and driving-pulleys. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and shows the wooden lining in section and projecting agitating-ribs on the interior by an end we In practice the apparatus is set up in what is called the mill, generally containing the crusher, the rolls, and in refractory ores a roastin furnace, also a large hopper to which t e ore is elevated and conveyed to a smaller hopper holding the number of tons required to charge a cylinder for treatment. When the leaching-tank is ready to fill, the gate on the smaller hopper holding the charge is opened and the ore allowed to flow through an open pipe to the leachingcylinder. The parts being common to mills of this character are not illustrated in the drawings; but in the drawings, A A represent suitable supports for the shaft and journals" of a drivingpulley B and idler B, and, as shown, the shaft of this pulley is provided with a pinion a, meshing with a gear-wheel b, for imparting rotary motion to one of the leaching-cylinders C, which is suitably mounted on supports D D, and journaled at c d. The leachmg-cylinders C are constructed with a shell of steel or iron and lined with wooden staves or strips e, fitted and wedged on the interior, and also has wooden ends or heads f inside of the wooden lining.

In order to properly agitate the liquid and contained ore, the lining of the cylinder is provided with a series of hard-wood strips 9, which are bent or curved spirally to fit the interior of the cylinder, to which they are secured by nailing or otherwise. These strips g start from each end of the cylinder, but stop short of the center, which is free to allow the solution and ore to pass out more thoroughly and readily when the contents are being dumped or emptied by opening the manhole E and rotating the cylinder. The cylinder C is charged through the manhole by a pipe leading from the small hopper made to hold a charge of ore just suflieient for any size of cylinder that may be desired. This cylinder is charged both with ore and cyanid solution; but a space equal to six or eight cubic feet to each ton of ore is reserved in the cylinder for the purpose of being charged.

ICC

with compressed air and supplying an excess of oxy en. When the cylinder is properly charge the manhole E 1s closed and made fast, the construction-being such as to prevent leakage.

A vertical storage-tank F, suitably located, is shown as being placed on a support G and connected by pipes with one or more leaching-cylinders, two such being shown. This vertical tank F has about four inches of space at the bottom, above which is a large screen h, and on top of this screen there is placed three or four feet of rubble rock for the purpose of breaking the rush of the gas up through the water 1n such tank and to hold the gas sufficiently long in contact with the water to cause its absorption therein; but the tank F has a small pi e that it may be opened? The pipe '5 extends up through the roof of the building for the tot tank F also has a manhole o ened or closed for pur t e-' interior and placing t e rock and for'filling, &c.

and from the open space there is a pipe k, which has a valve Z, by which the water may be drawn from the tank. It

also has a pipe m, having a'valve n, and this pipe leadsto another pipe 0, which connects with one or more of the leaching-cylinders.

valves 1) p, closed as against either one of the cylinders C C and communication has connection by cylinders C C, one of such flexible tubes being provided with a valve 1", and the cylinders ave unions 8 s, with the valves t t for connecting and disconnecting with the flexible g and through the pipes and inlets to:

tubes the ot er tanks or cylinders. The pipe'u, leads up from the pipe 0 and connects with, the top of a com this pipe has a va p of any degree of pressure desired, usually sevtions made with the unions 8 s the valves t ti with a valve 7', so

purpose of permitting the foul air to escapev e outer atmosphere and to make room for additional fresh air at each charge. This H, which may be' oses of getting at 1 values in the old ans At the bottom of the tank F, leading to below the screen,;

ing simultaneously,

The pipe 0 is .shown as connecting with'two' leaching-cylinders and also provided with by which the connection-maybe made through the; valve n to the storage-tank F. The pipe 0' flexible tubes g g with the ressed-air cylinder I, and ve v for making connection with such air-cylinder, .whlch receives com-- the compressed-i air cylinder is kept filled with compressed air and such other valves as may be necessar are then opened, and the compressed air is a mitted to the space allowed for that urpose within the leaching-cylinder, an when properly charged with compressed air the valves t t and such others as maybe necessary are closed, the flexible tubes removed, and the cylinder started. The rotation of the cyltwenty revolutions er minute-and the 1ground ore containe in the li uid is tumled by the revolutions of the cy inder, and is brought up b the agitating-ribs intosuch contact with t e compressed air contained in the cylinder as to cause such compressed air to impinge the liquid, cyanogen gas, and all particles of ore with it in such a positive manner as to cause a quick solution of any gold or silvencontained in the ore. The usual time for operation by this method is about one-hour, while in the ordinary way'from six hours to three days have been re uired in orderto causea pro er solution of-t e ore inthe cyano en as an liquid contained in the leaching-0y in er, and there is a less When the leachin -cylinder has beenin rotation the re uiref or allotted time, it is stopped, and t e flexible pipes are again connected, and the valves t.t are opened to allow the e ress of the excess of as to the cylinder F w ere both cylinders 0 are. operator if operating nately equalization of the pressure is made by connecting with the cylinder next to start, and this saves about one-half of the compression of air required for its operation. After the equalization has taken lace the valve leading to the cylinder to which the gas escaped 1s closed and proper conriection made with the exhaust-pump, which is then set in operation and umps out the remaining compressed air and gas, delivering it up through the reserve or absorbing cylinder contains fresh water for taking up that as and for permitting the escape of the'fou ed air to the outside atmosphere. When the air and gas have been exhausted from the leaching cylinder, the manhole is then opened and the cylinder made to revolve and dump the contents into a trou h that leads to one of the filtering-tanks. T e water containing gas saved by exhausting and storing in the tank F is subsequently used in adding to the standard solutiontank-thus savingin the water the gas so absorbed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire-to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In ap aratus for cyaniding ores, a

'rotary leac ing-cylinder adapted to retain compressed air during the operation of. leachmg and means for supplying compressed air to said cylinder, and

inder is usually slow-say from twelve tomeans for rotating said r30 that are brought into ,touch 19 ercentage of recovery-of slow process of leaching.

alter- ICC F, which cylinder in combination with a second cylinder for receiving the excess of compressed air and contained gas from said leaching-cylinder, and means for equalizing the pressure between said cylinders.

2. In apparatus for cyaniding ores, a rotary leaching-cylinder adapted to retain compressed air during the operation of leaching and means for supplying compressed air to said cylinder, in combination with a cylinder for receiving the excess of compressed air and gas contained in said leaching-cylinder, an equalizing-pipe having a valve for equalizing the pressure between said tanks and means for exhausting air and gases from said leaching-cylinder.

3. In apparatus for cyaniding ores, a retary leaching-cylinder adapted to hold a cyanid solution and retain compressed air during the leaching, means for supplying compressed air to said cylinder, means for rotating said cylinder for agitating the ore and bringing the same into contact with the compressed air and cyanid solution, a cylinder for receiving the excess of compressed air, means for exhausting compressed air and gases from said leaching-cylinder and a tank or receiving the air and gases exhausted from said leaching-cylinder. I

4. In apparatus for cyaniding ores, the combination of a rotary leaching-cylinder, means for supplying compressed air to said cylinder prior to leaching and for retaining such supply during leaching, tating the ore, a second cylinder and means for transferring the excess of compressed air to said second cylinder prior to emptying said leaching-cylinder.

5. In apparatus for cyaniding ores, the combination of a rotary leaching-cylinder adapted to hold a cyanid solution and retain v compressed air during leachil'ig, said cylinder being provided with a wooden lining and spiral wooden ribs starting at each end and terminating short of the center of said cylinder, and means for supplying compressed air to said cylinder.

6. In apparatus for leaching ores, the combination of a rotary leaching-cylinder adapted to hold the ore and treating solution and to retain compressed air during the leaching, means for supplying com )ressed air to said leaching-cylinder, detachable connections between the air-supply means and said cylinder and spiral agitators within said cylinder for bringing the ore and treatingsolution into contact with the compressed air during treatment.

means for agi-- 7. In apparatus for leaching ores, the combination of a leaching-cylinder, adapted to retain compressed air during leaching, spiral agitators for impinging the ore and compressed air during leaching, a storage-receptacle containing a liquid and adapted to receive compressed air and gases from said leachin -eylinder, and connections whereby the foe ed air and the gases may be transferred from said leaching-cylinder, and the air permitted to escape.

8. In apparatus for leaching ores, the combination ofa rotary leaching-cylinder adapt- .ed to retain compressed air during leaching,

means for supplying compressed air to sai cylinder, a storage-receptacle adapted to contain a liquid for receiving gases from said leaching-cylinder prior to leaching, and means for exhausting fouled air and gases from said leaching-cylinder and transferring them to said storage-receptacle.

9. In apparatus for leaching ores, the combination of two-or more rotary leaching-cylinders adapted to retain compressed air during leaching, connections for equalizing the pressure between said leaching-cylinders, a storageqeceptacle having connections with the several leaching-cylinders and adapted to contain a liquid for taking up gases transferred from said cylinders, and means for exhausting and transferring fouled air and gases from said leaching-cylinders to said storage-receptacle.

10. In apparatus for leaching ores, the combination of two or more'leaching-c'ylinders. adapted to retain compressed air during leaching, said cylinders being provided with spiral agitators, means for supplying com-- pressed air to said cylinders and connections whereby the excess of compressed air and gases may be exhausted from said cylinder afterleaching and the gases preserved for further use.

11. In apparatus for leaching ores, the coi'nbination of a leaching-cylinder adapted to retain compressed air during leaclnng, a

'storage-rece itacle provided with a screen and obstructing substances on one side of said screen, connections between sa1dlcacl1- ing-cylinder and said storage-receptacle on the other side of said screen, and means for exhausting and transferring fouled air and gases from said leaching-cylinder to said storage-receptacle.

THOMAS L. RANKIN; Witnesses Enwann I). C. SPERRY,

Faun S. SHEPIIARD.